Today is the first morning of a new era, which will showcase kindness and inclusion instead of the open warfare against diversity seen for the past four solid years. I’m proud to see unprecedented numbers of voters from every path- all turning out for record votes. Thank you for voting safely. Thank you for using your voice to demand a return to kindness. To return to love.

I openly wept yesterday, hearing the news that Donald Trump’s reign of institutionally sanctioned terror was at an end. It felt like coming out from under abuse and hearing President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris specifically call out systemic racism and white supremacy as deplorable was transformative. They stood before us, the core of an administration who will not just acknowledge the existence of the deliberate oppression built into the framework of our society- a reality the Trump Administration absolutely refused to do- but who will lead the charge to tear it out and burn the roots. They gave voice to specific marginalized voices, like women of color, transgender people, and people with disabilities. I felt seen. Just absolutely seen, and the vast majority of my loved ones are also rejoicing. This was unlike any election I’ve ever witnessed first hand. People are rejoicing, and dancing in the streets. The joy carries on still, into today. Waking up to see the pure joy and relief being reported across the nation feels like hope. Actual hope.

I couldn’t sleep last night. I had to get this piece out of my heart and into the world. It shows Lady Forward, a statue representing progress that holds great personal truth and meaning for me, telling Lady Justice and Lady Liberty that the abuse is at an end. Forward is a statue that stands before the Wisconsin State Capitol building. Tell them they’re safe. Tell them it’s over, she says. Now begins the healing of our battered nation. We have a long road of healing ahead of us, but the tides are turning. This marks the start of our rehabilitation. This marks the beginning of an era of healing the traumas that have sought to destroy so many.